Greetings! I discovered this website only a few days ago, following a link on Maria Killam's blog "Colour Me Happy" ... probably the best find of the year for me!

It will take a very long time to sift through this treasure trove of good info, great insight, and "aha!" moments - but I'm delighted to be here!

About me: I would describe my style as fairly classic, but incorporating current trends. "Trendy elegance"? Love the look of leggings and skinny jeans with platform sandals or - in the case of leggings - ballet flats.

I sheepishly confess that my entire wardrobe is based on black, with white, cream, grey, taupe ... I can't help it - every time I go shopping, I gravitate to the black. If a sweater comes in several colors ... I'll buy the black. :-/

So part of what really grabbed my attention is how Angie demonstrated how color can be introduced into a wardrobe and really punch it up without looking (to my eyes) garish. I've already seen some examples I'm going to try.

I also love Angie's "eye" ... she really expresses my opinions on certain trends that I simply don't understand (hate-hate-hate the cropped pants!).

Anyway - I'm new, delighted to be here - and looking forward to interacting with other members!

Hello. My name is Carrie. I discovered the site last week through a post on another forum I frequent. This is just what I needed.

I'm in in my mid-30's, married to a fabulous man, and have two wonderful kiddos. I'm a SAHM and I homeschool my oldest. And...I've become frumpy

I have a closet full of clothes that are all wrong for me and unfortunately a pretty small clothing budget, so I'll have to make my changes slowly. But for the first time ever, I'm excited about shopping. I have been pouring over the website reading all the posts, and looking at all the pics. I have read every post on my body type (ahh...the apple) and I have made a wish list.

Thank you Angie, and everyone else. This site is such a blessing to me.

Hello to all! My name is Marcia. I have been lurking for some time and decided it was time to introduce myself and get more involved.

I am a single mom with a 16yr old daughter and a 13yr old son. They keep me busy, but I absolutely love watching them in their sports and activities and supporting them. I have been a hair stylist for 20 years. I work at an Aveda salon in a small town in Indiana and am blessed to have great coworkers and clients.

I am a bit mixed when it comes to fashion. Sometimes I tend to be bold(think leather pants) and sometimes I tend to be timid and hold back. It takes me awhile to get into the trends. Following YLF so far has helped me gain confidence to try some new things for myself. I got my first pair of leggings this last summer. I used to look at a coworker & think to myself, I wish I could wear that. Now thanks to YLF I do! I got my first pair of skinnys also--love! I am trying to jump out of my fashion box. At the salon we all wear black. We can incorporate some pops of color. We wear anything from jeans to skirts and dresses to dress pants. When I shop I find myself automatically going to black clothes and have to remind myself that I need a nonwork wardrobe too.

Hopefully I will continue to learn and grow as I start posting pictures and getting feedback from all you wonderful ladies!

Big YLF hugs to DC Deb, Carrie and Marcia, welcome on board x

Just wanted to extend a welcome to DCDeb, Marsha, Misha and Carrie! Glad to have you on board and can't wait to hear more from you all on the forum!

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a while, I finally summoned up enough courage to join and post pictures thanks to the recent encouraging posts.

In general I am a minimalist, my preferred style is simple yet elegant, but I'm pretty sure I'm well off the mark by far. I work in a fairly conservative environment with Business Casual (just a notch below Business Formal, so dresses/skirt separates/tops+dress pants/even khaki.) I'd like to project professional/confidence/put together/pretty, not edgy but with a twist of fun or interest, not too girly (too much rosettes overwhelms me). I hardly wore accessories up or layering til 1-2 years ago when I started to watch WNTW.

I'm 5'3, currently at 155lb, so well beyond my ideal weight. I wear a 12 bottom, petite M/L top, or regular M/L tops depending on brands. I have a very high but short waist, which is 1-2 inch below bra brand (which is 34-36 C/D), and long torso. Classic Rise would be mid-rise on me, as my belly button is about 2 inches *below* my waist. I just love the classic definition of the most flattering fit being mid rise @ 2 inches below belly button, that'd put me in bikini territory... haha!

I am from Chinese origin, have black, naturally slightly wavy hair, and relatively dark skinned. Purples/Turquoise/electric blues/jewel tones are my favorites and look best on me. I love patterns, either in prints, or the fabric weave, prefer them over solids. I love colors over neutrals, except shoes, they are all neutral.

Not positive about my body type, I think either hourglass or vase. Problem area is tummy & bootie/thighs. So I am always conscious about hiding my bottom half.

I also have small feet, wearing size 6 wide (or 6 extra wide, 6.5 wide, sometimes 7). My feet aren't as wide as they have thick/deep instep; I also have thick calf. I call them meaty feet, lol! Vast majority of my shoes come from online due to size difficulties. My tried and true size is Bella Vita 6 wide.

I've been generally wearing pants to work, although this year I decided that I'll wear more skirts/dresses. I love skirts/dresses, the problem is that I commute to work via light rail & walking, I leave 6:00-6:30 in the morning, which could be quite cold/chilly with windchill sometimes (yeah, I know all relative, I'm talking about 50-60's here..:-)). :D) But I *hate* being cold. This fall/winter, I will try with wearing otk boots just to warm my legs while commuting.

I have 3 young kids. Shopping comes as a luxury, and most of that shopping for kids/DH/family stuff and of course food as well. So I online shopping quite a bit, but truly prefer b&m stores. My DH calls me cheapskate, as I like quality fabric/construction, but don't like the prices a bit. My favorite stores are Ross/TJmaxx/Marshalls. I just love a bargain, but I'm quite picky about what I buy, although sometimes I give up & settle just because what I'd love in my size/fit/color is just hard to come by.

OK, enough rambling, looking forward to hearing from y'all, and I am ready to learn more!

Hi I'm Leah. I've joined because none of my friends are interested in fashion and I need somewhere to commune about shoes and frocks.
My style is ladylike with unexpected touches. I love loud prints and bright colour - particularly stripes and geometric prints. I can sometimes be a bit of a fashion victim, but I like to think I choose to follow trends that suit me, even if it is a bit slavish. I mostly wear dresses and skirts, but I am slowly amassing a collection of trousers that fit me right. However, I am prone to dressing older than I am - I am not yet 30 but I've been dressing like I am a spritely grandma for far too long. I am like Angie in that my lifestyle is a pedestrian one and therefore I need shoes that are chic *and* comfortable. I have an addiction to wedge heels and chunky platforms. My size varies at different stores, I am a 10 at some places and a 14 at others, I have proportionate hips and bust, but not much waist definition, as well as a broad ribcage.

I am lucky in that I am casually employed as a nanny, and then every other day is my own so I can wear what strikes me that day. I love to thrift - most of my clothing (and some of my shoes) are second hand these days. I live in San Francisco and it's a very dressed down vibe here so I find I am wearing less makeup and keeping my hair casual as a counter to all my frocks and cardigans.

My favourite labels (in a dreamland where I have unlimited money) are Kate Spade, Lena Hoschek, Vivenne Westwood and Leona Edmiston. But mostly my wardrobe is thrifted and bought from Marshalls with no loyalty to any particular brand. I look forward to sharing outfits and information with all you very stylish folk here on the forums.

Welcome on board cloud9 and Leah x

Hi all, another newbie here although I’ve been lurking for a few weeks. I'm Megan and I found YLF surfing sidebar links at one of the blogs I read. I’m 27 years old and don’t really know what I’d call my style, I think I’m still trying to figure that out. Over the last year or so, I’ve been trying to improve my wardrobe from the college kid clothes I had. I’m so glad to have found YLF, Angie and all you forum ladies are a great resource.

I’d call myself an athletic pear, having relatively broad shoulders from growing up on the swim team and well developed leg muscles from taking up running for the last few years, but with the pronounced booty and hips courtesy of my mom’s genes. I work as an engineer, so my workplace is very casual. I wear jeans most days, but have started dressing it up some lately. I’m a bit of a cheapskate, so I prefer to shop at the discount stores (Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx) as much as possible.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you ladies!

Hello
I've never described myself through my size/frame/style, so here it is:
I am very tall athletic pear who most of the time does not fit into regular clothes, have most of my life hated shopping and am finally beginning to believe you can actually learn how to be stylish.

The memory of the first pair of jeans that did not fit because they were too short is still vivid in my memory. I am only beginning to get over the aversion to 3/4 length sleeves - something I hated most of my adult life as they reminded me of all those tops I could not wear in my teens because, you've guessed it, the sleeves were always too short.

And I clearly remember reading once in one of my mum's magazines that by her 30ies, every woman knows what fits her. The time I spent thinking I'd never fit into that description! Oh yes, let's not forget stylish and groomed mum, perfectly proportioned, not too tall, could wear anything she wanted because she was the average european size 38/40.

You get the idea how frustrating the whole style-fashion-shopping thing was to me.

Fast forward to today and I am beginning to accept my silhouette, know which colors suit me, know which styles suit me and I do shop efficiently, only buy what I really like, although I see a lot of room for improvement there. A few months back I got rid of most of my wardrobe which I always hated, but was buying out of pure desperation because "it was long enough and I may not find it again if I need it and i'll get over the color that is a bit so-so".

I am, however, only learning how to be playful with the clothes, especially in my free time. I love classic, understated style for work, and although I work in a quite casual environment, I like to dress formally to an extent, simply to distinguish in my own mind work time from home time.

I love reading fashion blogs and admire the creativity of the fabulous ladies that post on this forum.

I have originally registered under the nickname "red" after my favorite color (no surprises there), but changed it to ellie, one of my nicknames and also the name of one of my favorite literature characters.

Looking forward to spending fun time here.

Hi everyone

My name is Kavita (Kavi for short). I'm not sure exactly how I found this blog, but it happened a few days ago while I was idly surfing - and now I'm hooked! Just when I decided to drastically cut down on my Facebook usage as it was consuming an unfair share of my time, YLF shows up!

I'm married, and live in the sunny California Bay Area. I'm a new mom to an adopted 2 year old from India, who is definitely keeping me on my toes. In about 2 weeks, I'm returning to work (high-tech marketing) after a very satisfying bonding leave.

Like many south Indian women, I'm quite petite/short - 5'1, a bit muscley in the back and thighs, but also with some curves. I recently reluctantly accepted the fact that 4" heels might be the source of my ongoing knee problems, so have been on the hunt for cute comfort shoes recently.

In a way, it's kind of cool that I discovered the blog so late, because there is so much good information I get to go through - it's like a big thick fabulous novel that I look forward to reading every chance I get. I also love the WIW section of the forum and just how positive and constructive the members are. I need to find an easy and quick way to upload pics so I can start participating soon.

Anyway, glad to be here and look forward to "meeting" you all!
Kavi

Hi meggers, ellie and kavi and welcome to the forum x

Hello everyone! I have been captivated by this site and its amazing content, and have been utilizing many of the new insights I have gained on my wardrobe in the last few months. I knew I was ready to become a member because today I was at the Rack and was trying on a Halogen "Chanel" style jacket, and couldn't decide between the M or L. I immediately thought of this lovely forum, and it's generously gracious host and members. I hope that you don't mind me crashing the party. I would love to be a part of YLF!

A little about myself - I am in my *gulp* mid-thirties. I work full time and go to school part time, so I am crazy busy. My goal is to finally have a career someday, but one step at a time for me. My office is business casual, and my life is laid back/funky, so I occasionally have an issue with my "work wardrobe" and my "real life" wardrobe. I hope I can eventually sort this out. I live in the Seattle area with my husband, our two wee dogs, and a lovely quartet of egg laying chickens. My mother is where i get my drive for fashion. She has always worked in the retail industry and is my most favorite shopping companion. I love to try things on and hear if they look good or not. Since she is so far away, I hope that perhaps I can find some lovely YLFs here that will occasionally let me know if I am "lookin' good", or if I need to "never wear that again".

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to joining the YLF forum!
Muncie

Muncie welcome to the party, grab a drink and make yourself at home x

Hi,

My name is Rutuja and I have been stalking this site for the last week or so almost every waking hour.I am new mom with a 10 week old baby, so every time I get up to nurse I read a few posts on my phone Its addictive!

I am 5 9" with ( I think) an hourglassish figure but with pregnancy pooch. Although I fit in my size 8 jeans, I get a muffin top. I am using the blog and forum to get ideas to dress around the muffin top while I work on getting my body back.

Since I work in a casual workplace and live in Seattle, I live in my Jeans and occasionally wear skirts/dresses for informal parties and going out for dinner.

After reading the blog I have realised that I although I have boat load of clothes and shoes ( and I am not averse to buying mid range stuff), I have a lot of orphans. I have quite a few heels but I wear almost none. I dont own any accessories (other than traditional Indian gold and pearl jewellery)- and I use one handbag a year.

I want to start dressing better once I resume work (good time to change my look) and am working out a strategy to get a few peices this year that I can wear now and continue to own even later. Look forward to your advice and support!

Welcome to the forum rutuja x

Hi,
My name is Caroline and I been reading this blog for a while and feel very connected with the posts and discussion, so thought it was time I started to participate.

I'm a 50 something full figured, average height, redhead based in Adelaide, Australia. This means I'm constantly in the opposite season to what everybody's writing about. But it's great because I'm able to organise myself to be a season ahead.

I love fashion and in an earlier part of my life worked retail fashion and then in manufacturing in the jeans industry. I have a constant frustration in finding fashionable clothes for full figure and large busted women. I especially find it annoying that when I do find a style that suits I can have it in black or black or black, a colour which really doesn't do anything for me. Enough of my grumbles, I'm looking forward to exploring new options on how to wear what I've already got and really enjoy Angie's insights into fashion and trends.
As many of my friends are not really into fashion, I'm looking forward to talking about fashion with you all.

Hello! I have been lurking at YLF for a week or two now and finally took the plunge to join yesterday. My name is Kristy, and I live in the Dallas area with my husband of 20+ years and our 3 boys. I am a SAHM these days and spend a lot of time volunteering at my sons' schools and our church. I love cheering my boys on at their various activities, reading, genealogy, animals, gardening, and cooking. I have always enjoyed clothes and fashion, but after my kids came along I became quite sloppy and frumpy in my dress. I am 5'3'' and curvy. Over the past 5 years I have gained some extra weight and am now at a size that I hate. I am working on that. Sure is much harder at 45 than 25! I consider myself more of a classic dresser than anything else. I love looking at Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, etc. for ideas and then putting my own spin on things. I am hoping that YLF can be a place where I can get advice on putting together outfits, cleaning out my clothes/shoes, and maybe a pat on the back now and then!

Hi,

my name is Astrid and I'm a university student from Germany, currently living in Berlin. I discovered YLF through a link in some blog, when I was searching the internet for advice on dressing different body shapes. And I must say, I really got hooked on the concept of body image, which is almost nonexistent in german style and fashion blogs. I think it's truly wonderful how many good advice is waiting out there!

I only moved to Berlin last year. My teenage years I lived in a rural area, without great fashion input. My mother didn't care much about dressing herself, she only went shopping when she absolutely had to, for work. For a long time, my standard outfit was sneakers, jeans and some t-shirt or sweatshirt thrown in the mix. And then I moved to the city and started watching all those individually dressed woman, looking beautiful. I discovered I enjoyed shopping for clothes, much to my surprise. I thought about my own style. And I tried to be a little braver in buying things.

When I write it down like this, it sounds pretty good. But it really wasn't. I mean, I'm not in jeans and t-shirt anymore, but I'm not nearer to feel and look like me. Does that make sense? I discovered I can't wear many of the things currently in the shops. It doesn't suit me at all. Some friends suggested I start with loosing weight (I have to say I'm totally normal in that regard) and then I had enough. I absolutely refused to consider it my body's fault. I was always comfortable in my own skin, although I hadn't the feeling of being beautiful (I'm working on that). So I started searching for positive body and fashion advice in my direct surroundings. And sadly, I pretty much found none. And I felt pretty alone with my discovery and my thoughts.

I'm here to find my body type. I want to learn its characteristics and have fun discovering and developing my style. And want to feel comfortable and beautiful in my body (again).

Looking forward to a great time!

Hello Caroline, Bookarella and Astrid. What a wonderful geographic variety you bring to the forum

Astrid, I love what you say "I absolutely refused to consider it my body's fault." Wonderful, wonderful!

Hi everyone!

Well, my name is Shar and I'm probably not in the typical demographic for this blog, as I'm 16. I, however, love fashion and consider someone's style to be a good reflection of their personality. I'm Chinese and I’m short. I'm 5' 1 and 4/5 inches with a slim physique. I cheat and round up so if anyone asks, I'm 5'2" for official records. I love literature, reading and writing. Basically, I'm a huge nerd--and I'm proud of it! I intend to study either fashion or psychology in college (University of Washington is my top wanted college. And Seattle tops my want-to-go places list). I'm not into usual teenage trends; I despise Uggs and I avoid sweats. I dress up more than most of my peers. If I had to summarize my style in three words, it would be: glam, quirky and edgy. As a teenager and living in suburbia, I’m limited in my style options. Also, I’m quite petite so shopping for shoes or pants is a pain. I also tend to fall back to a typical uniform: jeans + a t-shirt which, frankly, bores me. I’m curious about how my style will evolve as I get older and once I get fewer restrictions (peer pressure, parents, suburbia, etc).

It’s nice to meet you all! Looking forward to participating in a blog I’ve been a lurker of for two years!

Hi Shar welcome on board x

Hello Ladies! I found YLF a few weeks ago while having a mild identity crisis. Found it very helpful, but I've been hesitantly debating whether it was a good idea pocketbookwise to register on a forum dedicated to fashion

I'm Christelle, 29-year-old full-time wife and mom. I LOVE my "job." Unfortunately, I've let it wreak havoc on my fashion sense and have decided that THIS is the season I get out of my funk and leave "frump mom" behind! I'm still young and want to EMBRACE that youth before it's gone! OK, so really I just want to feel pretty and for my kids to grow up with a mom who is PROUD to be a mom, not a mom who is forever mourning the long lost body she once had

I USED to be a slim, size 4, shortwaisted hourglass. Now I'm a very lumpy, size 10-12, extremely well-endowed, short-waisted hourglass-who-looks-more-like-an-apple. I try not to say it, but I really dislike my body I feel like it's not MINE, and I don't know how to dress it, and that it's not even WORTH dressing because nothing I put on it is going to make it firm and perky and smooth again. I'm trying to rise above this and just learn to DEAL WITH IT and make myself look pretty anyway because THIS is the body I now have, and I'm kinda stuck with it.

I'm forcing myself back into the fashion world, feeling absolutely clueless. The clothes I used to like and wear feel too young and not ME anymore. The clothes that are supposedly for my body-type make me feel even MORE well-endowed. And everything that's semi-disguising makes me feel incredibly-matronly (not exactly the ego-boost I was looking for). So here I am, hoping to find some inspiration and advice to help me crawl up out of this frump-mom hole onto the road to being a semi-chic-mommy.

A few facts about me:
I hate shopping. My hubby has to TELL me to go buy what I need, yet I can be gone all day long and only come home with one or two basics and a thousand stress/worry lines on my face. If I didn't have such a hard-to-fit body, I'd order everything online so I'd never have to face the dressing room mirrors and smartly-dressed clerks in the clothing stores. It's all too intimidating and depressing.

I love decorating. About the only shopping I really LOVE is for my home. Like some of you ladies know your shoe and purse brands, I know my paint chips, tableware, couch and rug styles, and every drapery fabric out there! I'm a Pottery Barn-aholic (that is my therapy after an exhausting day at the mall looking for something, anything to fit on my body. I can always go in there and find something I love that makes me feel happy again ) I love rustic, time-worn materials combined with clean, modern lines. No clutter. I guess I'm kinda the same when it comes to my attire. I like clean, sophisticated, uncluttered looks with feminine, vintage appeal. Can I call myself an urban bohemian?

I'm not a big makeup girl, preferring the bare minimum, but I do have a passion for lipstick and will buy a new tube just to treat myself whether I need more or not. But maybe everybody does that, and I'm just living in a box

My other love is good food. I never thought I'd say I liked cooking, but I'm finding it quite exhilarating to try new recipes and serve a beautiful, nutritious meal. I watch every cooking movie that comes out (i.e. "Julie & Julia") simply to see the enticing food and look for new recipes

I've got to find a decent profile pic, but until I do, a quick description: I'm 5'3", have olive skin, brown eyes, long dark hair. A textbook Deep Winter all around

Anyway, I'm looking forward to poking my nose into old threads and hopefully posting some new ones to learn some new tips!

Oh, I should also mention (warn!) that I can be kinda wordy at times

Can't promise your bank balance will thank you for joining but we're glad you're here x

Hi everyone, I have been lurking around here for ages, and just completed the registration today. I love what all of you have to say! I'm Jen, I'm 39 (I can see 40 on the horizon!), a stay-at-home mom from southern California. I'm an hourglass shape (size 8) and I lean towards classic styles. I do, however, abosolutely love statement jewelry, and if it's vintage even better. I shop everywhere from Macy's to thrift stores. I don't know if I'll ever get up the courage to post outfit photos, but I sure have learned a lot from you and from Angie. I have been inspired to look my best, even when all I do are errands around town and picking up kids from school. When I feel good about my appearance, I think I end up being a better wife and mother. I look forward to getting to know everyone a bit better.

So, many new names and faces! Welcome to all of you! I'm so glad you all decided to jump in and join the fun.

Hi, ladies! My name is Elizabeth, I'm a Florida native who recently moved to Tennessee. Yay! Finally get to enjoy FOUR seasons! I live in jeans because I work as a graphic artist in a sign shop. I dress the jeans up with blazers, sweaters and camoflauging layers. I'm 45, 168lbs, curvy hourglass with a middle-aged spread. What can I say? I love my coffee and sweets! Married to an amazing man, he bought my iPad that thru surfing brought me to YLF. Angie, thanks for sharing your pearls of wisdom and thanks to all of you for this lively, lovely mix of fashion and fab females! Once I figure out the camera-posting-photo thing then I will add visual to my current verbiage-only communication.

Hi, I'm Lynn from North Carolina. I am older than a lot of you--54. I'm here to learn to get more use from my clothes. I love to shop and I buy way more than I need and still, sometimes I don't have the right thing to wear. Also, with aging, some things that are stylish and pretty are not flattering anymore. I am 5'4", average weight with small shoulders. Sort of a pear, I guess. I guess my style is casual with some trendy items thrown in. For fall I have bought some low boots, dark brown riding boots and several pairs of skinny jeans. Also one pair of jeggings and a scarf. I have loved reading about all of you and look forward to learning from you all.

Hi Elizabeth and Lynn and welcome on board x

Hello! I'm Sarah, 27 years old and newly married.

I've been lurking here for a few months and I've finally decided it's time to come out of hiding!

The thing is, I love fashion but lately I've been feeling so lost in my wardrobe and completely discouraged in stores. The first is due to a complete failure on my part to edit my wardrobe so there's so much stuff I don't want to wear that it's hard to find the items I like. When it comes to shopping, what I want (quality) is at odds with what is available at my price range. It doesn't help that I live in a relatively isolated city so there's not a whole lot of variety and shipping rates for online shopping can double the price of an item.

But I have to persevere and I'm hoping this forum of fabulous people will help!